Lakeside Soft Play Review

Soft play centres are a place that most of us mums find themselves going to at some point, and one soft play centre that I’ve been going to quite a bit lately is Lakeside Soft Play, in Datchet, Berkshire.

What I love about Lakeside Soft Play is that it’s really small, as it’s for under 5’s only. This means that I don’t have to climb inside tunnels, crawl over rope bridges, or do anything else that my body isn’t designed to do so it can rescue Thomas, my 20 month old, from a tricky situation.

The soft play runs 90 minute sessions, which you need to book online. During the week it costs £2 for crawlers, and £5 for under 5’s. On weekends and holidays it still costs £2 for crawlers, but £6 for under 5’s.

The only criticism I have of this soft play is that when booking online there’s no option to book a crawler, so you have to book for an under 5 and ask for a refund for the extra money you paid when you arrive for your session.

Whenever I’ve asked for my refund I’m always told that I can use it as a credit in the café, and when I’ve said I don’t want to do that I’ve been asked to provide them with coins so they can issue the refund with a note, which I can’t always do.

So, whilst Thomas is still crawling, I’ll always feel awkward asking for the refund, but other than this, it’s fantastic value for money, and I can’t fault anything else.

This soft play also has a small section for under 2’s where they can build towers with large blocks, roll around, lie down, sit, and play in a round soft enclosure.

Even though Thomas is the perfect age for this section, he rarely goes in it. He much prefers the rest of the soft play, where he surprised me last time we went by being able to do all of the equipment by himself, including going down the slide backwards.

There’s also a small corner for babies, that has a bouncer, and push and pull toys, and a ball pit area at the back of the soft play that Thomas loves. He calls the balls bubbles, and throws them in the air.

A big plus of this soft play for adults is that the hot drinks and cakes are really delicious. There’s always enticing homemade cakes on display, including baby led weaning food, as well as lunchboxes for kids, which consist of sandwiches, pizza, fruit, juice boxes, and other items.

Lakeside Soft play is located in the same grounds as Liquid Leisure, a massive aqua park, so if you’re visiting here in summer be prepared to have to park towards the back of the carpark, which is a 10 minute walk to the soft play entrance.

If visiting outside of summer, or weekend mornings, you can normally get a carpark at the soft play entrance, and parking is free no matter where you park.

I love Lakeside Soft Play, and will continue to take Thomas and Ryan here until they turn six.

Lakeside Soft Play is located at Liquid Leisure, Horton Road, Datchet, Berkshire, SL3 9HY. For more information on Lakeside Soft Play please visit their website.

What are some of your favourite soft play locations?